after one month in fremantle that itching feeling came back. it was the longest break from traveling so far and i still had seen only a tiny part of australia.
i stayed up until the morning. i had to check in people during the night, did the last round as night-manager and rolled out of the hostel at six in the morning. i followed the cycle path along the coast out of fremantle until it ended at some shipyard, a dead end. i turned inland instead of following the busy highway and rather took a longer but safer and as it turned out more beautiful route. i was passing through national parks and was lucky to stop nearby some source of water in the evenings for a shower or a swim. with the help of a guidebook i also found nice spots to camp for free. what i saw during the day of a different wildlife was reflected in the soundtrack throughout the night. i pitched my tent close to a picnic area in the serpentine national park after stopping there for lunch and having a swim in the pool beneath the nearby waterfall. the ranger didn’t seem to mind that i was staying there though camping is usually not allowed inside national parks, only on designated campsites. that day i saw kangaroos for the first time. tame ones, mostly lying round in the shades. they would even eat out of your hand, but once they got active i couldn’t help thinking of evolution to have some sense of humor.
the next stop i made was at the lane pool reserve. there i saw the first “real” kangaroos. the ones which don’t stop for you to take out your camera before they take off. with some river running through the area it was another opportunity for a swim until the pasta was ‘al dente’. the next day i retraced my steps back to the ocean,was passing bunbury and the tuart forest towards busselton, where i had a lunch break at the jetty. over dunsburough i reached yallingup, where the cape to cape trail passes through amazing scenery along the coastline.
then i entered the wine-growing region around magaret river. rolling along vineyards and on small roads, i reached the town in the afternoon and checked in one of the backpackers. as i got some groceries the next day, i met a friend from freo again and moved into the same hostel the next day. a good choice. the magaret river lodge… my home for the next three months.